April 9th, 2010

Ok, its really close to midnite April 9th, but it is really April the 8th.

Just doing the Spring Break thing, staying up late at night and partying down by myself. Been playing music by my favorite Blues singer "Buddy Guy" much of the day. Had lots of Ceviche left over to eat today, it was ok, but I prefer the fresh stuff.

I was reading thru another "Truck Camping" site written by a 30 something couple, and they seem to be living a free life. I still envy and seek to emulate these folks one of these days, but I seem to be addicted to my current salary and job, which I do like. I hate the regementation of a 50 hour a week job, and my blood pressure gets worse every year because of this. But a good job is as addicting as heroin or tobacco, I simply can;t bring myself to break from a fifty grand per year job, during this economy. If I don't, I will likely die from a stroke (knock on wood).

I spent this Spring Break, focusing on eliminating salt from my diet and eating less. I have lost 15 pounds so far, but it isnt much, considering I now only weigh 3oo pounds (I am 6' 3" but I still feel like shit much of the time). Confined to a specific area, interacting with hundreds each day, while having to wake at 6 am. and the other responsibilities, as totally foreign and unnatural to my entire existance. Hard to describe it, but I feel like a freakin cow, doomed to life in a feed lot. I never liked the career thing, but since moving up here to Utah, at least the job is much more pleasant than my previous place of work.

I really envy this couple, who are making it as work kampers, plus a few online enterprises, who travel the country and enjoy themselves while still in their 30's. Check out their website, which is simular to mine, but Im still dreamin and they are out there enjoying their freedom... http://hitekhomeless.net/2008/05/free-at-last-free-at-last-johnny

I wish these people the best, its obvious to me that they know what they are doing.

After I return from a month in South East Asia this summer, I plan to fulltime it in my camper for a month or more. Hopefully, I can break away from my little pen in a few years.

My observations on Truck Camping so far is this:

1. Far more convienient than pulling a camping trailer: I generally go much farther up the trails than the trailer peeps. They enjoy the space, I enjoy the solitude. I enjoy the much-improved gas mileage, and driving ease in the towns and cities. I also have much more "Stealth" ability, since I can park on the street, and the cops are unlikely to catch me! I also, have the luxury of pulling a small trailer for motorcycles, kayaks and other toys!

2. Cheaper to heat.. Up here in the Northern Rockies, its nice to warm up your home, 5 minutes just by making coffee on the stove. A luxury to die for, believe me.

3. Quicker to get the hell outta there! I can bug out of a campsite, in 5 minutes. Try doing this as a tent camper. I twice had to bug out during my tent camping days, once due to a storm, another due to some weird asses who chose to camp next to me and my three little children, on a beach where I was the only camper.

4. You have to be mindful of the huge blindspots, but you learn to move much slower when the camper is on. (I am a lazy ass, so I leave the camper on full time).

5. Get the smallest truck camper rated for your truck, otherwise your camper will be wagging the dog, rather than the truck wagging the camper. (this statement might make little sense to the layman). But yes, overload and your asking for it.

6. Truck Campers are way too small for fulltiming, unless you can create a nice outdoor patio, where you can lounge. Don't forget the sunshades, and camp chairs here. You will not like being emtombed for days on end.

7. I enjoy myself more if I bring a bicycle and motorbike, for alternative exploration.

8. Keep your rig lo-tech as possible. No satillite internet, cell phone access, need for much electricity. Keep it all batteries, and propane. My little shortwave on 4 batteries, lasts for days, and provides much entertainment, when combined with books. All inside camper lights, are led battery powered, or kerosene lantern. If I was really fulltime, I would pack a laptop with a wifi antennea, plus an inverter to charge the batteries.

9. A dog is a better companion that most humans. Think before you add that passenger!

10. Always bring 5 gallons more water than you;ll think you need!!!!! Pack a 0 degree rated in the sleeping bag in your rig at all times.

11. An emergency first aid kit and a few army MRE/s are essential.

12. Bring a guitar and a bottle of whiskey for each wilderness place you camp. This way you can get it out of your system, and few will be forced to hear it.

April 7th, 2010

Damn this cold assed weather during "Spring Break". Since "Spring" involves two 8 inch snow storms, within 6 days, the ground is trying to melt enough to where the cold air makes this place a swamp. Up in these climes, the sun goes down pretty quick, so its only warm (50's) for a few hours, then the temp plummets even before dark. Hate to bitch but its been snowy and cold since late October; Why the fuck would anyone want to live here for climatic reasons. As endearing that I find the "Winter Wonderland", and I do complain less than the locals, but the fact remains: Eight cold assed months per year just chaps my ass. And Yes! I said 8 months, meaning October thru May (and June isn't all that warm). Better have some warm clothes in those months or your screwed.
Today we got up to 40 degrees, of course it was below freezing most of the day, but the sun came out and burnt off much of the snow. I managed to sit in my sunny back yard for one hour and can attest that it was pretty nice out for 30 minutes today, while the rest of the day was cold as hell.

I was dreaming of the tropics, and went to the local Mexican grocery, and bought some ingredients to make "Ceviche", which is a very tropical sort of fruit and veggie salad, centered around fish. True Ceviche calls for one to marinate the chunks of fish in lime and lemon juice for an hour or so. This actually cooks the fish. The flesh turns "cooked" in that time from the chemical reaction with the acidic juice alone. They say, that some of the bacteria, on the dead fish
dies during the "cooking process". I washed the heck of of the fish before making the dish.

Salmon, Tilapia, y Camaron Ceviche' con Requeson....

1 pound of Salmon and Tilapia fillets plus 1/4 lb small shrimp.

(I prefer the cheap vac-sealed Walmart fillets frozen from China. Although the Tilapia does grow in rice paddies fertilized by human dung, I swear that i neither smelled nor tasted it while eating the uncooked fish!)

One finely chopped big Jalapeno.

5 large cloves of finely chopped Garlic.

2 smallish tomatoes of the "on the vine" variety.

1/3 chopped cucumber.

2 oz of finely chopped cilantro.... make sure its fresh and all that.

one good sized rotten avocado.

One orange chopped well.

4 limes, plus reconstituted lemon and lime juice, you might need it.

Honey

Tabasco sauce

Corn tortillas

Requeson cheese (heavenly stuff, I think it either comes from goats or indian maidens, not too sure of its origin).

Sour creme

I didnt use any onions due to my roommate, but some onion should be required.

INSTRUCTIONS:

Rinse the heck out of your fish.

Blot fish dry then blot some more. Cut the fish into 1 quarter inch squares. Dry again. Mix salmon, shrimp, and tilapia, in a a bath of lime juice, I squeezed the inital lime juice bath then added the reconstitued stuff, once that was soaked up. The fish looked pretty cooked after bathing in the first lime juice.


Add a copius amount of Mrs. Dash seasoning, to the fish and mix with your clean hand. Cover and let cook the the fridge for an hour mixing once at least.

Chop your veggies, drain marinade from fish, add honey and tabasco, then mix the veggies into the fish and take your time stirring, keep it all cold.

Heat up a corn tortilla on the greasy skillet.


Toss a little "requeson" cheese on the tortilla, then put some of the ceviche on it, put a wad of sour cream on the cervice. Eat with reckless abandon.


enjoy...